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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25881037">Real gift</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/fan_but_no_art/pseuds/fan_but_no_art'>fan_but_no_art</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 00:49:02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,007</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25881037</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/fan_but_no_art/pseuds/fan_but_no_art</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What Jaemin wanted for his birthday was actually pretty simple.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Real gift</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jaemin had been dead to the world for only four hours when his shoulder got nudged by a small hand. </p><p>His dongsaeng was at the edge of the bed, sat on the blankets, uncovering Jaemin's chest and leaving him in just his shirt to keep him warm. </p><p>The lights in the room were off, but he knew who it was because of the shadow made by the lights in the hallway.</p><p>Chenle had his hair all over, sticking to the sides like a doll's hair.</p><p>"Jaemin-hyung?," Chenle asked in a whisper to confirm if he had woken up. "Jaemin-hyung, I'm hungry."</p><p>"Chenle. What time it is?", Jaemin mumbled, sitting in the bed and squinting his eyes to adjust to the mild darkness.</p><p>"2 a.m. I can't sleep and I'm a little bit hungry. Can you cook something for me?" The Chinese boy blurted quickly, grabbing Jaemin's hand in his, playing with his cold fingers.</p><p>"Okay, Lele," Jaemin accepted, standing and stretching his arms above his head. "Do you feel like eating anything in particular?"</p><p>"No, hyung. Whatever you want is fine."</p><p>Jaemin ducked down under his bed to get to a certain box, one where he kept old photos and papers, if Chenle remembered. What he didn't remember were the two packets of spicy ramyeon on top of them.</p><p>Chenle glared at Jaemin, crossing his arms in front of his chest and frowning slightly. "You told me and Jisung to not eat this in the middle of the night."</p><p>Jaemin shrugged a little at the complaint, a grin in his lips. "Well, not every day is your favorite hyung's birthday," he sing-songed, his voice hoarse from just waking up.</p><p> </p><p>The journey to the kitchen was uneventful, short and quiet if only for the drag of Chenle's feet on the carpet.</p><p>"I'm sorry, hyung."</p><p>Chenle sat at the table, his arms on the marble and his head resting on them, almost as if he were to sleep there with the smell of the ramyeon in his nose and the sound of the water boiling. "I didn't want to wake you up, but Jeno-hyung went to visit Doyoung-hyung, Renjun-hyung told me to let him sleep or he would kill me and you know Jisung is useless in a kitchen." </p><p>"It's okay. I had wanted to eat these packets for a few days, but I didn't want to eat them in front of you without you getting mad at me," Jaemin confessed, looking at the noodles swimming in the water. The floor tiles felt cold under his feet, compensated with the heat of the stove in his face. He didn't notice Chenle raising his head and looking at him with guilt.</p><p>"No, hyung. Your birthday just ended and I know you were busy celebrating. You should rest. I shouldn't have bothered you." </p><p>"Chenle. Don't worry, okay? I'll be fine." The ramyeon was now poured into their bowls, Jaemin taking them to the table, placing one in front of him and one in front of Chenle. "I'm your hyung. It's my responsibility to take care of you. I <em>want</em> to take care of you."</p><p> </p><p>"Here." Jaemin suddenly said, putting some noodles in Chenle's face for him to eat, clouding the view the smiling hyung was.</p><p>"Hyung, I'm not a baby." Chenle stated while he rubbed his eyes with his long pajama shirt, yawning and looking as small as he was when they met a few years ago. </p><p>"You are to me." The answer came so easy and honest that not even Chenle felt like saying otherwise, taking the noodles that Jaemin was offering. They were spicy and chewy, his favorite kind of ramyeon.</p><p>He made as he was about to pick some noodles up when a question popped in Chenle's head, his curious mind catching up with his waking body. Jaemin was about to eat his noodles too, when the dongsaeng tilted his head and asked unconsciously, "Hyung, did you want anything special in your birthday?"</p><p>"No. No, I don't think I ever do." The older man considered, his voice low and gentle in the empty room. "I just wanted to be with you and I got it. I'm happy next to you." He gazed at Chenle, like if staring at him would show him how much he loved him and how much this little moment meant to him.</p><p>He didn't have to wish for something he already had. Jaemin only felt at home when he was at the dorms with his members. Their bickering starting in the early morning, Chenle getting inside his and Jisung's room so they can play videogames and fighting over in who's room would that happen, Renjun running away from a teasing visitor Haechan, Jeno following him around and Mark calling them to know how are they holding up without him. </p><p>He never felt alone, which is what he feared the most after his temporary hiatus, the thought of never living and being with them very strong and scary for him. The real gift was their company and he appreciated every second of it.</p><p>"You're like our father. Of course you're happy being with us," Chenle reasoned, his mouth full of noodles.</p><p>Finally grabbing some noodles for himself, Jaemin hissed loudly, the noodles too spicy and too hot for his mouth to not complain. </p><p>It was unexpected. So unexpected that it made Chenle giggle, the sound not much like that of a dolphin like it used to be. He reached for his friend's arm, holding him there as to make the moment longer. His hyung had light blond hair, looking brighter than anything could be. His smile was so genuine and big that Chenle felt like there was no other person he would want to eat ramyeon at two in the morning. "Thanks for the ramyeon, hyung. Happy birthday."</p><p>Even though Jaemin hadn't say it, Chenle knew what he had tried to tell him through his short words but affectionate actions. And he knew because he felt the same. Always had.</p><p><em>I love you too</em>.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Happy birthday to our baby Jaemin.<br/>This was meant to be posted yesterday, but the internet connection here is a bitch and I couldn't. Sigh.<br/>Hope this is not awful? </p><p>(Votes and comments are hugely appreciated!!!)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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